.carolinecblaker.

Oil Paintings, Latex Paintings, Data Art.

Rants and Raves -

A casual blog reporting on the life and times of Caroline C. Blaker

  • The Public Healthcare Debate

    The biggest thing happening in this country right now is the debate on how to reform healthcare. And among the majority people, be they simply opinions or long-studied scholars who can recognize economic patterns of cost analysis, there is consensus that the system needs to be changed. I’m with everyone- I am (ok.. was AND am) lucky to have the healthcare I did when I discovered my lump, and to have been in a situation where I would not be dropped by my healthcare provider. I was also lucky that research, trials, and treatments had previously been put in place to be available to me in order to classify my outlook as “extremely treatable” -- whew! While my out of pocket costs for care landed at around $2500, the total dollar amount was around $45 -$100,000 that without insurance, I would have needed to pay out of pocket. My amounts due were usually in the form of $30 copays for treatments, $65 for a two week supply of drugs (including shots, immune support, ativan, and sterroids whi...

  • Drawing a blank

    I am unaware of anything I truly want to express. Though my mind is not inactive, rarely do thoughts linger longer than a few moments, or survive the process of my computer being found in order to be recorded. Sometimes they are just blurbs, the target of Twitter and facebook, but in these truncated frames of completeness, would I have ever guessed that these efforts would soak up the need to write further reflections? Should this be of concern to me? Or perhaps its just about enjoying a little bit of extra silence of the mind. My mind is far from silent, however, for the most part. I find myself thinking in blurbs, as though I could be updating my facebook or twitter status directly from my mind, through ESP. “Caroline is in a dangerous situation - there are cinnabons in the terminal”. “Caroline gives this airport an F in the computing longevity department.” “Caroline wants to photoshop a photograph to create a painting, but is drawing a blank.” “Caroline doesn’t want to pa...

  • A Pleasure to meet You!

    Its been just a few days short of one calendar year since I have moved to Albuquerque, and time has really flown, especially if you consider exactly how long I have gone without making real connections or friends. How the heck did I do it? Well one thing is for sure - counterintuitively, its much easier to make connections being single - or at least, much more of a necessity. For the first time ever in my days, moving to a new place has not seen “make friends” to be high on the priority list. I can thank Travis for this (gotta love him) because he’s kept me so happy that I haven’t needed anyone to keep me company. But now the deficit of professional connections and an ever-growing perception that I might be missing out are leaning me towards a more impulsive exploration of the city. Get out and enjoy your own kind! It says. Now wtf? My own kind? Do I have a kind? You bastard.. but no seriously. I do have a kind. Its the all-around creative with a lot of skills here and a few skill...

  • Finally some ME time..

    You may have noticed that the website has taken a turn for the extreme better. After eight hours of development using the Stickman Labs Accordion with this fix for Prototype 1.6, my website's navigation has finally come of age. Yes, you too can get to where you want to go with just a click of your mouse, or two. You can also browse the entirety of the website's contents from any page. This is a huge fix from the last system, which was essentially characterized by its own lack-of. But I'm glad to be improving the online experience of .carolinecblaker.com. As a web developer, I'm always coming up with new ideas for this site, though not always with the time at hand. But its like they say, one step at a time....

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